Saturday, 6 October 2018

Our Class Self-Watering Project

Our class is learning all about agricultural technologies this term. One of the topics that we explored is the use of controlled technologies in plant production. I was completely fascinated by the idea of growing plants in low water conditions. In this case the self-watering system stood out as a simple yet very effective way of utilizing what little water there is available.

Self-Watering System

A self-watering system consists of two parts. An outer container that holds the water and an inner container that holds the plant and soil. A wick is used to join the parts together. The wick allows water to move upwards into the soil (capillary action) from the reservoir when needed. A self-watering system is beneficial for people who may be away for a few days because the plant does not require daily watering but instead gets its own water from the reservoir underneath it.

In the pictures below, we planted turmeric rhizomes which I had sprouting on my kitchen counter top. Instead of discarding them I decided that we would use the rhizomes in our own self-watering planters. We will monitor their growth daily and each student will make the necessary notes in their journals. I plan to let them take the plants home after 4 weeks so that they can transplant their young plants to their own backyard.

Take a look at this video which demonstrates how to make your own self-watering planter.